The Roofman, Part 1

Summary

Criminal Podcast Summary: "The Roofman, Part 1"

Introduction

In the gripping episode "The Roofman, Part 1," hosted by Phoebe Judge of the Vox Media Podcast Network's acclaimed series Criminal, listeners are taken on a suspenseful journey into the mind and methods of a prolific serial robber known as the "Roofman." Released on April 11, 2025, this episode delves deep into a series of meticulously planned robberies targeting McDonald's restaurants across the West Coast, culminating in a harrowing account of one particular heist in Belmont, North Carolina.

The Belmont McDonald's Robbery

The story begins with a chilling recount of the April 11, 2000, robbery at a McDonald's in Belmont, North Carolina. Nine-year-old Lucia Blix had been kidnapped, setting off a frantic search for her safe return. Key to this narrative is Mervat Fayed, an employee at the Belmont McDonald's, who provides a firsthand account of the terrifying incident.

Mervat Fayed's Account Mervat Fayed details the morning of the robbery, painting a vivid picture of the events leading up to the confrontation with the kidnapper. She recounts the routine preparations before the sudden intrusion:

Mervat Fayed (01:27): "Turn on the grills, the fryer, start cooking, prepping biscuits, and start making the tea. Fresh tea, fresh coffee. And make sure everything is stocked and good and clean."

As the store was still closed and doors locked, an unexpected and menacing figure appeared:

Mervat Fayed (02:06): "...he had a mask on and he was holding a rifle in his hand."

Her description of the robber emphasizes the lack of typical criminal aggression, noting his unexpected politeness:

Mervat Fayed (05:20): "Super, super polite. He was saying nothing but, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for doing this to you guys. You guys are the good people, I'm the bad person.'"

This unusual demeanor left employees confused—"I didn't know whether to laugh or to be scared"—highlighting the surreal nature of the situation.

The Roofman: A Serial Robber

As the episode unfolds, Phoebe Judge introduces listeners to the broader phenomenon of the "Roofman," a serial robber responsible for a series of similar heists across the West Coast. Starting in December 1998 in Sacramento, California, and spreading to multiple states, the Roofman became notorious for his distinctive method of entry—accessing restaurants through the roof using power tools, and his calm, polite approach during robberies.

Investigation Efforts

Special Agent Sky Poley, a retired special agent with the California Department of Justice, becomes a central figure in the investigation. He explains the challenges faced by law enforcement in tracking the Roofman:

Sky Poley (10:05): "I've heard him called the Roofman. I've heard him called the rooftop Robber."

Poley elucidates the pattern that connected over 27 similar robberies across California, Nevada, and Oregon by August 1999. The consistency in the Roofman's modus operandi—polite demeanor, rooftop entry, and targeting only employees—made it easier for investigators to link the crimes:

Sky Poley (14:21): "The suspect was following the same pattern, the same MO."

Jeffrey Manchester: The Suspect

The narrative takes a pivotal turn with the arrest of Jeffrey Manchester in May 2000 at the Belmont McDonald's. Carrying a rifle, drills, and other tools, Manchester's apprehension provided law enforcement with significant breakthroughs. Mervat Fayed recounts the moment of recognition:

Mervat Fayed (23:09): "I said, that is him. Because I remember his nose and his eyes."

Manchester's background revealed military training in artillery and airborne operations, offering insights into his physical capabilities and strategic thinking during the robberies. Despite initial denials, mounting evidence and witness testimony led to his indictment on multiple felony counts, including kidnapping.

Trial and Conviction

During the trial, Mervat Fayed and her colleagues were compelled to testify against Manchester. Their testimonies were crucial in establishing his guilt, particularly his distinctive facial features and surgical precision during the heists. Despite pleading guilty to several charges, Manchester contested the kidnapping allegations, maintaining that forcing employees into coolers did not constitute kidnapping.

Mervat Fayed (31:07): "He was the person. But it had that same smirk, that little smile. It was like, 'Yep, it's me.'"

Ultimately, a jury found Manchester guilty of seven out of eight kidnapping charges, sentencing him to 32 to 45 years in a North Carolina state prison.

Broader Impacts and Unresolved Cases

Agent Poley continued to investigate Manchester's potential link to over 40 other robberies and 22 attempted heists nationwide. However, his efforts were abruptly halted by the September 11 attacks, which shifted federal focus towards homeland security. Consequently, Manchester was never formally charged with the additional robberies attributed to the Roofman.

Sky Poley (34:15): "He was a prolific armed robber...all good things come to an end."

This abrupt shift left many questions unanswered, as the Roofman's full extent of crimes remained partially unresolved.

Conclusion and Teaser for Part 2

As the episode concludes, listeners are left with a sense of unfinished business surrounding the Roofman's criminal legacy. Sky Poley's last remarks hint at unfinished investigation lines and the continued threat Manchester posed even within the prison system:

Sky Poley (35:44): "It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when he tries to escape."

Phoebe Judge teases the continuation of this riveting story in Part 2, promising further exploration into Manchester's criminal psychology and the lingering mysteries of the Roofman's spree.

Notable Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

• Mervat Fayed (05:20): "Super, super polite. He was saying nothing but, 'I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for doing this to you guys. You guys are the good people, I'm the bad person.'"

• Mervat Fayed (23:09): "I said, that is him. Because I remember his nose and his eyes."

• Sky Poley (10:05): "I've heard him called the Roofman. I've heard him called the rooftop Robber."

• Sky Poley (34:15): "He was a prolific armed robber... all good things come to an end."

• Sky Poley (35:44): "It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when he tries to escape."

Final Thoughts

"The Roofman, Part 1" masterfully intertwines firsthand accounts, investigative insights, and the intricate details of a serial robbery case that spanned multiple states. By focusing on personal testimonies and the methodical nature of both the crimes and the investigations, Criminal offers listeners a compelling glimpse into the complexities of criminal profiling and the relentless pursuit of justice.

For those eager to uncover the rest of the story, Part 2 awaits, promising deeper revelations and the resolution of lingering questions surrounding the enigmatic Roofman.

Transcript

[Phoebe Judge]

The missing child is Lucia Blix, 9 years old. Please let her come back home safely. April 16th. The kidnappers plumbed it meticulously.

[Mervat Fayed]

If money is what it takes to.

[Phoebe Judge]

Get her back, we're gonna pay it. The secrets they hide. You can't talk about this. You can't write about it are the clues. The mother's hiding something. I know it. To find her, tell me where she is. The Stolen girl series premiere April 16 on Freeform and stream on Hulu. This episode is brought to you by Lifelock. It's tax season, and we're all a bit tired of numbers, but here's one you need to $16.5 billion. That's how much the IRS flagged for possible identity fraud last year. Now here's a good number. 100 million. That's how many data points Lifelock monitors every second. If your identity is stolen, they'll fix it, guaranteed. Save up to 40% your first [e-mail] podcast terms apply. 25 years ago, Mirvat Fayed was working at a McDonald's at the corner of North Main and Route 74 in Belmont, North Carolina, outside of Charlotte. She was just out of high school. We met Mirvat and McDonald's to talk about one morning in May of 2000 when she arrived to open the restaurant around 5am with several other employees. There was a lot to do.

[Mervat Fayed]

Turn on the grills, the fryer, start cooking, prepping biscuits, and start making the tea. Fresh tea, fresh coffee. And make sure everything is stocked and good and clean. So I know Grandma, that's what we called her. She was making the biscuits.

[Phoebe Judge]

Mervette told her boss that she would handle making the tea and coffee right behind the front counter.

[Mervat Fayed]

And I just see someone that came right from the kitchen to the front counter area. And I see someone standing, but I thought, you know, it was one of the crew people.

[Phoebe Judge]

The store was still closed, all the doors were locked.

[Mervat Fayed]

And then he said, I need you to get down on your knees and don't say anything or don't scream. So that's when I turned around and I looked and I saw him. The only thing I can see was his eyes and a little bit of like the nose, but more the eyes because he had a mask on and he was holding a, I believe it was.22 rifle in his hand. And this is when it hit me, as in, okay, what is happening?

[Phoebe Judge]

Mervat got down on the floor. Her boss, who had been in the bathroom, came around the corner and saw the man with the gun behind the counter.

[Mervat Fayed]

And I said to her, this is real, Elaine. This is real. And this is when he asked all of us to just stay quiet and go walk and tour the office.

[Phoebe Judge]

Mirvat says there were five employees in the restaurant that morning. They were all rounded up and brought back through the kitchen to the hallway outside her boss's office. The man with the gun took Mervette's keys from her. She had a small can of pepper spray attached to them.

[Mervat Fayed]

When he saw that, he grabbed it and he said, I'm sorry, I'm going to have to take it because I don't want you to do something stupid that would kind of force him to do any harm.

[Phoebe Judge]

The man told all the employees to lie face down on the floor.

[Mervat Fayed]

That way we can all be low because of the drive through window. That way no one can drive and see us. No one was talking. Everything was super quiet. The only thing you heard was, you know, the beeping and stuff like that from cooking. I know that at one point the grills opened back up because they were cooking sausage and the oven started beeping because there was apple pies in there. So one of the crew people, the lady in the kitchen, said, elaine, what do you want me to do with the sausage and the pies? She said, well, ask him. He's in charge here. And he actually told her that you can get up and remove the sausage and the apple pies from the oven.

[Phoebe Judge]

And then the man told her boss to open the safe.

[Mervat Fayed]

He had a bag. And she was just putting all the money that we had in in the safe in the bag. So. And she was just putting like last night's deposit. She was putting all the cash from the registers. And when she put all that, she said, okay, I'm done, you want the coins? And he actually said to her, yes, I like coins. Please put them all. So, yeah, she put all the coins that was in the safe that day, everything in there for him.

[Phoebe Judge]

Was it a lot of money?

[Mervat Fayed]

I believe it was between seven and $8,000, but that was a lot of money for him to take.

[Phoebe Judge]

Was he polite? I mean, what was it? Was he yelling?

[Mervat Fayed]

Super, super polite. He was saying nothing but, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for doing this to you guys. You guys are the good people, I'm the bad person. I'm so sorry, Please. And I didn't know whether to laugh or to be scared or is this real? Because, you know, you see in the movies, robberies are not like that.

[Phoebe Judge]

Then he asked her boss, Elaine, to get the McDonald's jackets used by employees. What were you thinking when he said. I mean, when he said, get the jackets?

[Mervat Fayed]

I don't think there was, like time to think about any of that. I didn't even think about, well, what's next?

[Phoebe Judge]

Once they had their jackets on, the man walked them over to the walk in cooler and shut the door.

[Mervat Fayed]

He did tell us that don't scream or don't try to do anything for the next. I believe he said, 5, 10 minutes or something and someone will get us out. And so we, we got in there. Elaine was so scared that her mouth got so dry that it was shut. She couldn't open, she couldn't talk. So I looked at her and I just turned around, grabbed a bottle of milk, opened it, and I said, here you go, just drink this. Just stay calm. We waited. We didn't hear anything out. So we started pushing the door a little bit. We kind of knew that door doesn't lock. He did not know that, but we knew that that door does not lock. It does not matter how many locks you put on there, it's not going to lock. So we just kept pushing it, pushing it, pushing it. We pushed it hard and it opened.

[Phoebe Judge]

The employee saw that he had tried to lock them in by putting the long metal legs of a lemon slicer through the door's handle, but it didn't really work. Mervett Fayed still works for McDonald's today as a director of operations overseeing several stores. When we met her, she took us into the back, into the walk in cooler.

[Mervat Fayed]

So a lot of people say, oh, you were locked in the freezer. No, you were not locked in the freezer, but this is the cooler. The temperature is 41 degrees.

[Phoebe Judge]

I mean, it's kind of cold.

[Mervat Fayed]

Yes, yes, it is. But if you do jumping jacks, you're not going to die.

[Phoebe Judge]

So you were all in here and how long do you think you were in here total?

[Mervat Fayed]

Oh, not even, not even five minutes because we were not able to be patient enough and we wanted out.

[Phoebe Judge]

So when you walked out, you opened this door and then were you all kind of looking around to see if he was still there?

[Mervat Fayed]

Yes. So we were in. I think what got us at ease is that that back door was cracked open a little bit. The alarm was going, and we didn't see him.

[Phoebe Judge]

Other alarms inside the store were going off, too. The alarms for the safe and for the unattended ovens.

[Mervat Fayed]

Everything in the store was beeping. Everything. Just the only thing we hear is beeps and quiet. Like us being so Quiet. And that's when we ran and called the police right away.

[Phoebe Judge]

About 12 officers responded. They started driving around looking for the suspect. There had been another robbery at a nearby McDonald's late the night before. Employees there were also locked in the walk in cooler. About a mile from the McDonald's. One officer noticed a car in the middle of a church parking lot. He went to look at the car and saw a man coming out of some trees. When the man spotted the officer, he ran back into the woods.

[Sky Poley]

The police officer made himself known, attempted an arrest. Short foot chase into kind of a wooded area. And it was dark. Sun was about to come up, but still dark. And the officer did the right thing and maintained his composure and got on his radio and called for backup and everybody came running. And as they say, the gig was up.

[Phoebe Judge]

The man reportedly said to the officers, you guys did a real good job today.

[Sky Poley]

I've heard him called the roofman. I've heard him called the rooftop Robber.

[Phoebe Judge]

The morning of the robbery, Sky Poley says he got a phone call. He's a retired special agent for the California Department of Justice.

[Sky Poley]

If I recall right, my pager was beeping on my bedside. A very excited voice told me that they'd caught him, that they'd caught the roofman. And like so many times before, I asked them to please tell me what makes you think you got the roofman? And they described the two robberies. He was nice and he was polite, he was friendly. All while holding a gun and threatening lives. And he put them in the refrigeration unit and was gone like a flash. So just that alone led me to believe that's the Roofman.

[Phoebe Judge]

I'm Phoebe Judge. This is Criminal. We'll be right back. Support for Criminal comes from Quints. Sometimes I'll save new clothes to wear for the first time when I'm on vacation. You can find new things for your upcoming trip at Quint's. They have lightweight European linen pants from $30, a lot of styles of sleeveless linen dresses, bathing suits and leather tote bags. So whether you're in the car, on a long flight or walking around a new city all day, you can be cool and comfortable. All of Quince's Items are priced 50 to 80% less in similar brands. I've been wearing Quince's long sleeve organic cotton button down in black. It's cropped just slightly so it doesn't bunch up or get too wrinkled. I like to pack light, so it's just the kind of thing I'm looking for. Nice enough to wear to dinner and comfortable enough to wear on a plane for your next trip. Treat yourself to the upgrades you deserve from quince go to quince.com criminal for 365 day returns plus free shipping on your order. That's Q U-I-N-E.com criminal to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com criminal support for criminal comes from Hungryroot. If you have unique health goals and dietary needs like gluten free, dairy free, high protein and more, having interesting meals to eat can take a lot of planning and preparation. Hungryroot can help with that. They provide recipe recommendations and deliver the groceries you need. All you have to do is let Hungryroot know your preferences and they'll fill your cart with recipes you'd actually want to make. And then it all arrives at your door. All of their recipes are designed to take 15 minutes or less to make. I just made their Lemon Pepper chicken with Cilantro Lime rice and would order it again. They also have snacks like hummus and popcorn so you don't have to supplement with a trip to the grocery store. You can take advantage of this exclusive offer for a limited time. Get 40% off your first box plus a free item in every box for life. Go to hungryfruit.com criminal and use code criminal that's hungryroot.com criminal code criminal to get 40% off your first box and a free item of your Choice for Life. Hungryroot.com Criminal Code Criminal About a year and a half earlier, in the early morning hours of December 17, 1998, police in Sacramento, California got a call about a break in at a local McDonald's employees arrived at the restaurant and found a masked man waiting for them inside. He had a handgun and had avoided setting off any alarms by coming through the roof using power tools. Days earlier, another nearby McDonald's south of Sacramento had been robbed in the exact.

[Sky Poley]

Same way and the detective at Sacramento Police Department realized after speaking to other local agencies nearby that this was a series. The suspect was following the same pattern, the same MO.

[Phoebe Judge]

A few months later, in March of 1999, McDonald's was robbed in Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco. It was early morning when a man wearing a ski mask approached workers inside while holding a handgun. He ordered them into the walk in cooler and took $900. He had entered the building by cutting a three foot square hole into the roof. Police said that in recent months, other McDonald's locations in northern California had been robbed too. A police Sergeant told a reporter the suspected entered through the roof each time saying, quote, chains are built the same way and floor plans are pretty much the same. It cuts down on the workload. One detective told a reporter, I'd look up on the roof if I had a McDonald's.

[Sky Poley]

He was able to hide in the restaurants. Sometimes he would bring himself out as the stores were opening. Folks are showing up to start coffee and making breakfast foods and whatnot. And sometimes he would bring himself out and begin the robbery with the victims after closing. And I know of no robbery committed in this case in which there were customers inside or involved. As far as I know, that never happened in this series. It was always the robber and the employees.

[Phoebe Judge]

Robberies started popping up all over the west Coast.

[Sky Poley]

It was seemed to be a ticking time bomb because he was. The series was picking up steam and it was prolific. Quite a, quite a few robberies were on the list, in my list that I thought he was responsible for.

[Phoebe Judge]

By August of that year, there had been 27 similar robberies across California, Nevada and Oregon. And the way the suspect got in each time through the roof wasn't the only thing connecting them. According to detectives. One reporter wrote, the robber's cordial demeanor is as distinct as his rooftop entry.

[Sky Poley]

He was a gentleman going so far as to use ma'am, sir, thank you, to the point of when he put a group of men and women into the freezer or refrigerator, he would often have a male employee give up his own jacket or sweater or sweatshirt to any of the women who might not have such a coat for herself.

[Phoebe Judge]

He was also known to call police from borrowed employee cell phones or pay phones to tell them that there were employees locked in the cooler. But police couldn't catch him.

[Sky Poley]

One case in California, responding officers were there probably within a minute or sooner than when the call went out that there was an armed robbery in progress and responding officers saw the suspect on the roof. And as officers began their containment of the area and surrounding the building, as you might say, the suspect jumped off of the roof of the McDonald's restaurant onto the ground, ran away, jumped a fence, ran over four lanes of highway traffic and up a mountainside and escaped.

[Phoebe Judge]

So he was proving hard to catch.

[Sky Poley]

To say the least.

[Phoebe Judge]

In October of 1999, the Sacramento Bee reported that the so called rooftop robber had taken his, quote, fast food fetish to the East Coast. McDonald's up and down I95 between Virginia and South Carolina were being robbed. McDonald's corporate offered a $5,000 reward. Some people speculated that the Suspect was a former McDonald's employee. Was it clear that you were dealing with someone who was not only athletic but also pretty smart?

[Sky Poley]

We respected his abilities, his skills and abilities, skill in his movements throughout the building to avoid detection from outside. It gave us a sense that perhaps he had some sort of training, perhaps in handling a weapon and in his movements.

[Phoebe Judge]

The robber had fired his gun to scare employees, once into the ceiling and once into a fax machine. But police said he hadn't fired at any employees during his robberies. During one robbery, he pistol whipped and tied up an employee. And after the employee came up behind him and hit him over the head with a bucket. Police arrested a 19 year old man named Jacob Ray Farrell on the roof of McDonald's in California. He'd triggered an alarm at 2 in the morning, but he had no weapon or a black mask with him. And when police searched the roof, there was no hole. He told police that he had climbed onto the roof to try to get some sleep and he was later ruled out as a suspect. McDonald's corporate increased their reward to $10,000. It must have been incredibly frustrating that you couldn't catch him.

[Sky Poley]

Yes, frustrating. Yeah, it was frustrating. I don't know how better to say it. It was frustrating. But all good things come to an end.

[Phoebe Judge]

In early 2000, a robbery was reported at a Trader Joe's near Salem, Massachusetts. Police believed it was the rooftop robber. By then, he was linked to robberies at 35 other stores and restaurants across the country, mostly McDonald's. But he had also been connected to robberies at Burger King locations as well as grocery, toy and video stores. Police said he had stolen almost $100,000 in cash and they seemed to have no idea where he'd turn up next. There's no set pattern. A Sacramento county sheriff sergeant said. It's all a big lotto. Restaurants that hadn't experienced robberies were also finding holes on their roofs. Police suspected that in those cases, the rooftop robber had been scared off. A repairman in the Sacramento area who closed up eight rooftop holes said the robber was clearly determined. He said he had dug through asphalt and sheet metal and even used an axe to chop through a roof in one location. The police started asking the public for help. They set up a hotline for any tips, and they also released a description of who they thought the rooftop robber was. This is not the kind of person family members would be suspicious of. An investigator told a reporter. When they picture the kind of person who can rob, they don't see him. The investigator also Said that the suspect was motivated by money and, quote, has a good relationship with his mother. She added, you can just tell that by the polite way he treats people. And then a month later, In May of 2000, a masked man entered the McDonald's in Belmont, North Carolina. He put Mervette Fayed and her co workers in the walk in cooler and shortly after was caught by police. His name was Jeffrey Manchester. He was 28 years old and had a rifle, drills, pry tools and hammers with him and a nylon bag stuffed with $8,000. He was also carrying a military ID. He was in the army reserves. The police put Jeffrey Manchester into the back of their car and drove him over to the McDonald's that had just been robbed to see if the employees recognized him.

[Mervat Fayed]

So now we're all like, well, we didn't get to see his face, but I remember his eyes and nose. There was something about, you know, his eyes and nose because I was staring at him the whole time. They told us we were scared to go outside, so they said, no, you can stay inside the lobby and kind of just look. So when we looked, he had that smirk on his face like, I'm caught. And I said, yep, that's him. Because I remember his nose and his eyes. I said, that is him.

[Phoebe Judge]

The officers had also found Mervett's keys, the ones he took because they had a can of pepper spray on them. They gave them back to her. The McDonald's employees looked at security footage from outside the restaurant to figure out how he might have gotten to their store in the first place. There was a ladder to the roof attached to the side of the McDonald's, but the bottom six feet or so were locked behind a cage to prevent people from climbing up on it. Says the video showed him jumping up onto the unlocked part of the ladder and climbing up. She says it looked like he first tried to dig through the ceiling into the bathroom, but they just installed sheetrock and he couldn't get through it. He ended up coming through the ceiling of the stock room in the back.

[Mervat Fayed]

Of the restaurant, and then he slid the ceiling tiles and he came down. And I guess he waited there till we came, and that's when he did it.

[Sky Poley]

I had every belief that this was our suspect. I knew it was him. I knew it was him.

[Phoebe Judge]

Sky Poley, along with another agent, got on a plane to North Carolina. We'll be right back. This episode is brought to you by Selectquote. Life insurance can have a huge impact on our family's future. With Selectquote Getting covered with the right policy for you is simple and affordable. Selectquote's licensed insurance agents will tailor your experience to find a life insurance policy for your needs in as little as 15 minutes. And selectquote partners with carriers that provide policies for many conditions. Selectquote they shop, you save. Go to selectquote.com Spotify Pod today to get started season one of Andor had critics calling it the best Star wars series yet. Now season two of the Emmy nominated.

[Sky Poley]

Series returns April 22nd.

[Phoebe Judge]

Follow Cassian Andor as he embarks on a path from a rebel to to a hero. Starring Diego Luna. And from creator Tony Gilroy, writer of Michael Clayton and the bourne identity. Season two of Andor is streaming April.

[Sky Poley]

22Nd only on Disney Plus.

[Phoebe Judge]

Sky. Poley says he arrived in North Carolina late at night. He went to the jail where Jeffrey Manchester was being held and he met.

[Sky Poley]

With us and he said the other people in the jail there, other inmates he was referring to, told him not to talk to us, that we would not do him any favors. And so he said, I'm glad you all came to see me, but I'm not going to answer any questions. So I was ready to be done. I put my folder away, my paper pen in my pocket, and he said, but wait, I'd like to ask you questions. And I said, well, that's rich. You won't answer my questions, but you want me to answer your questions? And I said, oh, okay, let's have a conversation if you would like.

[Phoebe Judge]

They started talking. Jeffrey Manchester told them that he'd read about the McDonald's robberies on the west coast and had decided to try it for himself. He said he was just a copycat and had nothing to do with the robberies in California. Sky brought up a robbery that had happened outside of San Francisco, and the.

[Sky Poley]

Suspect forced the manager into a small room where the safe was. And the suspect looked up at the corner of the room and there was a camera. And the suspect stood up on a chair and with his hand moved the camera away from his face. And Jeff Manchester, good looking young man. I said, you know when you robbed this restaurant in Emeryville, you stood up on the chair and moved the camera. I said, jeff, you've got a nose on you, man, and that bandana you had didn't cover it all up. So I'm looking at you. It's just like looking at that video with the camera being moved so I know you're our guy. And he continued to deny it wasn't me. He said, he said, I just learned about this from the news in California. Need some money. So I thought I'd do the similar type of robbery here. And I said, well, that's interesting, Jeff, because, you know, when you Rob the other McDonald's up in Virginia, I would say the little old lady manager, the woman you hold a gun to, she told me, she said, you know, for holding a gun on me, he was the nicest guy. And when I said that, Jeff's eyes teared up and he maintained his innocence by words. But his reactions told a very different story.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester was originally from the Sacramento area, and he was estranged from his ex wife. McDonald's officials said he had never worked at McDonald's before, but his ex wife had a decade earlier. Sky Poley told us that when he looked into it more, he found that Geoffrey Manchester had worked at a McDonald's in the Sacramento area, but at a different location than his ex wife. He had received army artillery and airborne training, which would have involved jumping from heights and rappelling. And he was part of an army reserve boat unit that specialized in transporting military equipment from one base to another. He had most recently been on a training mission that had gone from California to Florida to North Carolina. One of his fellow army reservists told a reporter that after the exercise was over, Jeffrey Manchester told him that instead of going back to California right away, he was going to stay with some friends. Three days later, he was caught by police in North Carolina. Jeffrey Manchester was indicted in North Carolina on 14 felony counts for robbing the two McDonald's restaurants, including one count of possessing a weapon of mass destruction and eight counts of first degree kidnapping for the eight employees he had held up. He pleaded guilty to several of the charges against him, like robbery and breaking and entering, but he pleaded not guilty to the kidnapping charges. His lawyer said he didn't believe he was guilty of kidnapping for forcing employees into coolers.

[Mervat Fayed]

I had to go to the trial because I was one of the people that had to testify. We all had to.

[Phoebe Judge]

And was he in the courtroom when you testified?

[Mervat Fayed]

Oh, yes, absolutely.

[Phoebe Judge]

Did you look at him? What was that like?

[Mervat Fayed]

I was very nervous just for the simple fact that my boss and my other crew, they were not in the courthouse because we were not allowed to testify while they are all in there. So it was one at a time basically till the end. Then we were able to sit together. So I couldn't find anyone in that courtroom to kind of like look at and feel comfortable. So. And then I had to look at him. And I have to say, yes, this is him. He's the person. But it had that same smirk, that little smile. Smirk on his face that, do you remember me? Or yep, it's me kind of look. And he was just sitting so tall, like, just like he. I. You don't see that I'm sorry look on his face? It was. Was like, yep, it's me.

[Phoebe Judge]

A jury eventually found him to be guilty of seven of the eight kidnapping charges, and he was sentenced to 32 to 45 years in a North Carolina state prison. In the meantime, Sky Poly was working on connecting Jeffrey Manchester to the more than 40 other robberies and 22 attempted robberies that had taken place in California and across the country.

[Sky Poley]

And we found that that followed in large part his military assignments. For example, most of his military work was done here in California. And we found that when he was on the east coast during military service, we had roofman robberies. And then when he was back in California, we had west coast robberies. Then I think it was the following year, he's back doing his two weeks, and we had roofman robberies again. And at one point, there was a Midwest robbery. And lo and behold, if that wasn't the only Midwest roofman robbery we had was about 50 miles from his training site.

[Phoebe Judge]

Did you start talking with the people in his life?

[Sky Poley]

I did, I did. I. I spoke with his mother. Very nice woman. That's hard, accusing her son of close to 40, maybe 50 armed robberies. I. I felt so bad for her. But she. She knew nothing of any robberies, and I believe her. I don't think she knew what was going on.

[Phoebe Judge]

So they were shocked.

[Sky Poley]

She was shocked. She was devastated. Her son was looking at a great amount of time in prison in North Carolina. But we were pushing for a federal prosecution here on the West Coast.

[Phoebe Judge]

But then the September 11 attacks happened. Everything changed.

[Sky Poley]

We were no longer focusing on a prolific armed robber. We were now focusing on homeland security. And so the steam that we had behind us for the federal prosecution dissipated quickly. And that was not even on the table anymore.

[Phoebe Judge]

Jeffrey Manchester was never charged with any other robberies besides the two that took place in North Carolina. He was sent to Brown Creek Correctional Institution, a medium security prison outside of Charlotte.

[Sky Poley]

I actually called the prison that he was assigned to. I just said, I. I'm the special agent, the cop in California who's been working this case for two years. I've got nearly 50 armed robberies attributed to him. And I know him and his M.O. the way he works probably better than anybody right now I said, it's not a matter of if, but a matter of when he tries to escape. And the response was with confidence that nobody was going to escape that officer's prison.

[Phoebe Judge]

On the next episode of Criminal, the.

[Mervat Fayed]

Sheriff officer came in and said, I would like to let you know something.

[Phoebe Judge]

We're humans. We make mistakes.

[Sky Poley]

I I wasn't surprised that he tried. I was surprised that he succeeded.

[Phoebe Judge]

I think it was for the chase. If you want to hear Part two right now, sign up for Criminal. Plus, Part two will be waiting for you. Plus you'll get ad free listening on all of our shows and bonus episodes. Sign up [e-mail] Criminal is created by Lauren Spore and me. Nadia Wilson is our senior producer. Katie Bishop is our supervising producer. Our producers are Susanna Roberson, Jackie Sajiko, Lena Sillison, Lily Clark and Megan Kinane. Our show is mixed and engineered by Veronica Simonetti. This episode was mixed by Michael Rayfew. Julian Alexander makes original illustrations for each episode of Criminal. You can see [e-mail] and you can sign up for our [e-mail] Newsletter. We're on Facebook and Twitter criminalshow and Instagram criminalpodcast. We're also on [e-mail] criminalpodcast criminal is part of the Vox Media Podcast network. Discover more great [e-mail] I'm Phoebe Judge. This is Criminal.